multifamily

adjective

mul·​ti·​fam·​i·​ly ˌməl-tē-ˈfam-lē 

-ˌtī-, 

-ˈfa-mə-lē

: involving or common to more than one family

a multifamily home

In contrast to single-family housing, where residents typically pay directly based on the amount of water used, there are several models for billing multifamily residents …

—Elizabeth A. Wentz et al.

Examples of multifamily in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Ablin also pointed to the vulnerability in multifamily properties financed with floating-rate bridge loans in 2021 and 2022, when borrowing costs were far lower and expectations for rent growth were stronger. — Lee Ying Shan, CNBC, 16 Sep. 2026

Five years ago, self-storage was one of the most profitable segments of the real-estate industry, with higher annual returns than multifamily housing, office complexes, and retail stores. — David Owen, New Yorker, 14 Sep. 2026

Although many cities across California are building denser, multifamily housing complexes, most are apartments, which are covered by different construction liability laws. — Grace Toohey, Los Angeles Times, 11 Sep. 2026

The project also includes approximately 565,000 square feet of retail and dining, 750,000 square feet of office, 1,385 for-rent multifamily units, and more than 20 acres of publicly accessible parks, plazas and multi-use trails. — Sportico Staff, Sportico.com, 28 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1903, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for multifamily

• family
• nonfamily
• stepfamily
• subfamily